Samiti censures goverment for defying rules

Samiti censures goverment for defying rules

Mangaluru: August 9, 2015: Members of Sahyadri Samrakshana Samiti have alleged that the Yettinahole project is being implemented silently bypassing land acquisition and compensation rules.

Through Yettinahole project, the Karnataka Neeravari Nigama Limited has plans of drawing 24.01 TMC of water to cater to needs of people in Tumakuru, Bengaluru Rural, Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts.

Samiti convener Dinesh Holla told reporters on Saturday that the government is implementing the project without considering the opposition from people of coastal districts and Sakleshpur. "The government is going ahead with the project forcefully flouting rules related to land acquisition and payment of compensation. Trees are being felled to facilitate construction of barrage and installation of pipelines of 16ft diameter in agriculture land of Ankihalli, Hebbanalli, Hebbasale and Sathigala villages of Yettinahole. No public hearing was conducted nor any compensation paid to land losers," he said.

Citing environment expert T V Ramachandra, Dinesh said the Yettinahole project is unscientific and will not yield expected result.

"The government aims at lifting 24TMC of water from tributaries of the Nethravati in Yettinahole. However, Ramachandra has indicated in his scientific report that the project will be able to provide only 9TMC of water. Hence, the government is secretly conducting survey to lift 15TMC of water from the Kumaradhara in Dakshina Kannada district," Holla said and blamed people’s representative of coastal districts for not raising voice against the project.

"It seems that the unscientific scheme, which will not serve the actual purpose, is being implemented to fill the pockets of few individuals. People’s representatives are also trying to cheat people of parched district by implementing an unscientific scheme," he added.